Petco Names New CLO, Corporate Secretary

Listen to this article

Press release: Petco

Petco announced the appointment of Genevieve Kelly as Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary overseeing all legal, corporate governance and regulatory affairs for the company.

“Genevieve is a proven leader with an impressive scope of experience as a corporate attorney,” said Petco CEO Ron Coughlin. “I’m thrilled to welcome her to Petco’s leadership team and confident her unique perspective and counsel will serve as tremendous assets for our business as we continue transforming the company for both pet parents and our own Petco partners.”

Petco operates more than 1,500 retail locations and employs 26,000 partners across the U.S., Mexico and Puerto Rico. As Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary, Genevieve will be responsible for leading Petco’s legal affairs department in support of Petco’s strategic plans, growth objectives and broader vision for healthier pets, happier people and a better world.

“It’s an honor to join a company with such a strong corporate reputation and the opportunity to make a tremendous impact in the lives of pets and pet parents every day,” said Kelly. “I’m excited to continue strengthening and protecting Petco’s brand, and to be part of the company’s ongoing growth and evolution.”

Kelly brings more than 25 years of leadership experience in legal practice for multinational corporations from around the globe. Prior to joining Petco, she served as Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for Dole Food Company, where she was promoted five times to roles of increasing scope and responsibility during her 14 years there. Previously, Kelly also worked as a corporate attorney for the international law firms Sidley Austin LLP and McDermott Will & Emery, and as legal counsel for multinational corporations Occidental Petroleum Corporation and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide and for the global investment bank Houlihan Lokey.  She is both a Fulbright and Rotary Scholar, and holds an A.B. magna cum laude from Brown University in English literature and organizational behavior and management; an M.A. magna cum laude and LL.M magna cum laude from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium in European studies and EU law; and a J.D. cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center. Since December 2016, she has also been designated a Board Leadership Fellow by the National Association of Corporate Directors.

Kelly will be based at Petco’s national support center in San Diego.